Claremore Regional Airport a hub of activity

Jun. 22—Claremore Regional Airport is bustling.

Traffic into and out of Claremore's airport has seen an increase.

"We've seen about 4,500 take off and landing operations this year," said Claremore Industrial and Economic Development Authority Executive Director Meggie Froman-Knight.

She said CIEDA and airport staff are also excited to share that a new flying club, the Oklahoma Airmen Flying Club, has expanded into Claremore Regional Airport.

"We're very excited about that," said Froman-Knight. "They'll continue to train new pilots in partnership with the Tulsa Aviation Group. We're actually down in pilots in the state of Oklahoma for the past three years."

According to the Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission, "At the end of 2019 there were 664,565 active pilots in the United States. This was down from a high of over 800,000 active pilots in 1980."

"It's not ideal for where we're trying to go with the state's efforts to diversify into aerospace and aviation," Froman-Knight said about the trend. "So this partnership is exciting and they're accepting applications for new pilots."

Recently, the Claremore Airport Fly In and Aviation Swap Meet drew a crowd.

"The event was on May 22, featuring six aviation vendors and a special visit by La Hermosa food truck," Froman-Knight said. "The event boasted more than 70 participants, despite the inclement weather."

She announced that because the airport is now home to it's first jet, they're on a higher tier in regards to federal aviation funding. The airport is now eligible to apply for additional funding sources.